Miscanthus sinensis ‘Oktoberfest’, hereinafter also referred to as ‘Oktoberfest’ and the “new plant” is a new and distinct cultivar of maiden grass. It was from open pollinated seed collected by Gary M. Trucks in fall of 2008 from Miscanthus ‘Malepartus’ (not patented) at a nursery in Benton Harbor, Mich., USA. The male parent is unknown, but may have been one of several in the breeding area as Miscanthus are generally considered self-sterile and pollen is wind-borne. The seeds were planted in spring of 2009 at the same nursery in Benton Harbor, Mich. with the first evaluations conducted the fall of 2009. Final evaluation and approval for introduction of the single seedling was done at a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich., USA in summer and fall of 2011.
Compared to the female parent, Miscanthus ‘Malepartus’, the new plant has shorter and wider foliage, colors up earlier with purple-red and is held more upright producing a more narrow upright plant habit. Miscanthus ‘Oktoberfest’ also has improved flowering with earlier coloring blooms that turn and hold onto their deep red-purple that holds through late fall frosts.
The nearest comparison cultivar known to the inventor is Miscanthus ‘Huron Sunrise’ (not patented). Compared to ‘Huron Sunrise’, the new plant has wider and shorter foliage with a white midrib. ‘Oktoberfest’ also is shorter in plant habit and blooms earlier with larger flower spikes that have a darker red-purple color. The leaves of ‘Oktoberfest’ develop a deep purple-red fall color earlier than ‘Huron Sunrise’ and retain their coloration for a longer period.
The new plant has been successfully asexually propagated by division at the same perennial plant nursery in Benton Harbor, Mich. since 2010, as well as plant tissue culture at a nursery in Zeeland, Mich., and found to produce stable and identical plants that maintain the unique true-to-type characteristics of the original plant in successive generations of asexual reproduction.